Door-knob.



S. AIKINS.

DOOR KNOB.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1910.

1,060,223. Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

.WMJ% W ymwe SAMUEL AIKINS, 0F

HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL ELECTRIC W ELDINGCOMPANY, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

DOOR-KNOB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Application filed June 20, 1910. Serial No. 567,798.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL AIKINS, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and resident of Hamilton, in the county of lVentwort-h, in theProvince of Ontario, Canada, have invented new and useful TD!provenients in Door-Knobs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to articles of manufacture wherein one part of thearticle is a hollow structure or body formed up as one continuous pieceof metal and entirely closed excepting at one place. A shank or stem orother form of closure is integrally united with the surface of this partin such position that the opening is covered ior closed.

The invention is particularly useful in the manufacture of metallic doorknobs and for an example of the application of the invention and forsimplicity it will be described as applied to the manufacture of sucharticles although it will be understood a :is angularly disposed to thehorizontal and vertical at all points adjacent to the edges that itmight be applied to the manufacture of various other types of knobs orarticles without departing from the spirit of this invention.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a door knob having ahollow metal bulb or body portion and a shank or stem integrally unitedwith the bulb whereby the weight of the knob is reduced and thereby thecost is lessened and by having theparts integral great strength isattained.

A further object is to reduce the cost of production of articles of thehereinbefore mentioned nature and to attain a simplified and cheaperfinished article.

Further objects which might be attributed to the invention will bereadily understood from the following description.

The invention consists in the new article of manufacture hereinaftermore particularly described and then specified in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a cross-section and partialelevation of a door knob constructed in accordance with this invention.Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an end elevation of the open end of the bulb portion, the shank beingremoved. Fig 4 is a plan view of the reinforcing ring and Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the same.

In the preferred manner of IIlfiJlllTELClturing the article I prefer tosecure the parts together by electric welding by means of which anintegral structure is quickly and cheaply attained.

C indicates a hollow metal structure such as the bulb or body portion ofa door knob or other type of knob B. This structure is preferably formedas a continuous metal body by spinning, drawing or any other suitablemeans and is provided with an opening at but one place such as indicatedat 3. This structure or body might take various forms or configurationsaccording to the use, but in the application illustrated, it is formedinto a general circular and oval shape as is usual in door knobs. Aswill be noted, all parts of the hollow body are closed except at theopening 3 and it is therefore impossible to insert any tool into thebody portion from a direction opposite the opening. The sides of thebody preferably gradually converge toward the opening 3 in such mannerthat the surface of the opening. By this construction great :rigidity isgiven to the metal of the body at the opening and permits the necessarypressure to be applied to weld the stern, shank or other closurethereto, without buckling or flattening the body portion.

D indicates the closure secured to the hollow structure or body C overthe opening 3,

which closure in the case of a door knob takes the form of a stem orshank by means of which the knob is fastened to the lock or %othersupport such as the bar 2 as is usual. The stem or shank is providedwith a flaring skirt or flange which overlaps the surface of the bulbfor a greater or less distance from the edge of the opening 3 and ispreferably so formed that it takes substantially the same inclination asthe surface of the bulb or other body form to which it is presented.

As previously stated, the parts are welded together preferably by anelectric welding process. The preferred manner of so joining the partsis as. follows: The body por tion or bulb C is provided with a pluralityof raised projections 5 formed in any suitable manner and disposedannularly about the opening 3 preferably at a short distance from theedge of the metal surrounding the opening. The stem or shank D is placedp the inner sides of the bulb over the opening 3, the flange or skirtresting on the projecting nibs 5. The parts, are placed between theelectrodes of any suitable type of electric welding machine and weldedtogether by the passage of current and the application of pressure in amanner now very well known.

As the electric current passes from one electrode to the other, theprojections 5 coalesce with the flange or skirt at the contacting spotsand by the simultaneous application of pressure, applied through theelectrodes, the parts become integrally united in spots about theperiphery as will be readily understood by those skilled in the electricmetal working art. Obviously, if desired, the parts might be united by acontinuous weld.

When the metal of the bulb C is of sufficiently heavy gage the shapethereof as pre viously described will prevent it yielding under thewelding pressure without any reinforcement or support within the bulb orbody portion, thus leaving a clear space within the bulb but if it isdesired to form the bulb or body portion of very thin gage material, areinforcement is necessary to support the surface of the bulb to whichthe skirt is welded and also the opposite surface or side. Thisreinforcement might be of any suitable form or character, as for instance, a ring or bandE inserted into the bulb C through the opening 3,or otherwise, and of suflicient height that it will bear on at the topand bottom of the ring. hen the ring is inserted through the opening 3 asplit ring or band having free edges 4 is preferably employed, so thatafter insertion it can be expanded until it comes in proper line withthe projections 5 or directly under the part to be Welded. Obviously thering might be made of proper size and placed in position before the bulbis formed or the reinforcement might take any other suitable style. Whena reinforcement or support is employed it takes thepressure exerted bythe electrodes in welding and positively prevents the sides of the bulbfrom being squeezed together irrespective of how thin the metal may beor what shape the bulb may take. Also when an interior support is usedit is not necessary for the part to which the shank or stem is Welded tobe angularly disposed as previously stated but might be so or might beotherwise formed.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture a hollow metal body with a centralopening in one side, the metal surrounding said opening being disposedat an angle to the hori zontal, and a stem or shank having an annularskirt conforming to the surface of the body portion around said openingand bearing thereon, said skirt being integrally united with the outersurface of said body.

2. As a new article of manufacture a hollow metal body with a centralopening in one side, the metal surrounding said opening being disposedat an angle to the horizontal and vertical and a stem or shank having anannular skirt conforming to the surface of the body portion around saidopening and bearing thereon, said skirt being integrally united with theouter surface of said body.

8. Asanew article of manufacture, a door knob comprising a hollow metalbulb or body having an opening in one side, a stem or shank havingaflaring skirt conforming to and bearing on the outer surface of saidbulb around said opening and integrally united with the surface of saidbulb and a reinforcing ring located within said bulb and bearing onopposite sides of said body in line with the parts of integral union.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a door knob comprising a hollowmetal bulb or body provided with an opening, a split ring adapted to beinserted in said bulb through said opening to reinforce said bulb and astem or shank conforming to the sur face of the bulb and welded thereto.

SAMUEL AIKINS.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. HENDRY, RICHARD BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

